Walsall Basin, the unfriendly boom and the art gallery

Two months before the BCN Challengers finished up there, we were at Walsall Basin, at the end of the Walsall Town Arm. Or, rather, we were almost there. As I wrote at the time, in our way was a yellow plastic boom across the entrance to the basin, keeping a lot of floating rubbish at bay.


There was nothing there to say what boaters should do, so we tied up just before the boom and walked to the art gallery. There had been no sign at the beginning of the arm to say that the basin was closed off.

I know now that visiting boats are meant to simply push the boom out of the way and tie up in the basin.


the approach to Walsall


new building on the Walsall Town Arm


Work No. 264, Two Protrusions from a Wall by Martin Creed in the art gallery


Shadow tied up just outside the basin - view from the art gallery

After an hour and a half of looking round the art gallery and doing a small amount of shopping - there's a useful Poundworld nearby - we reversed the quarter of a mile to the junction. Does the prop pick up more rubbish in astern, whereas in ahead the action of the boat cutting through the water pushes semi-submerged items out of the way? We came to a halt with a shirt round the prop, which took me fifteen minutes to free. Here's Jan displaying the offending garment just before throwing it away later.